In the AHL, Matt Rempe will now have a chance to transform into a more complete player.
There's always a possibility that Matt Rempe will be a Rangers again, but don't bet on it.
Rempe's problem is that he was not given the same opportunity as was a Rangers brawler of yesteryear, Reg Fleming.
"Reggie could fight," said Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, "but he also could score."
Sure could. In the 1961 Stanley Cup Final between the Red Wings and Black Hawks, it was Fleming who starred in the Cup-winning game for Chicago at Detroit's Olympia Stadium. Reggie's goal helped the Hawks win their first Cup since 1938.
Fleming became a Ranger in January 1966 and veteran hockey reporter Al Greenberg was there to cheer Fleming's game, along with the (old) Garden crowd.
"As a Ranger the Garden faithful wildly cheered him," said Greenberg. "Fleming's self-proclaimed style was, 'Go out and start bustin' because he knew it was the only way he could remain a major leaguer with his limited skills.
"Fans loved him – as did the NHL treasury for the quantity of fines he contributed."
The Maven can vouch for Fleming's fistic prowess. When Reggie was a Ranger, John Ferguson of the Canadiens was generally regarded as the NHL's best and fearsome fighter.
One night Reggie unhesitatingly took on Fergie. It was one helluva fight and it was Ferguson who wound up bleeding, not Fleming.
Matt Rempe could have used a few lessons from Reggie!
